On the tenth day of industrial ergonomics, my DORN safety team gave to me…ladder safety and ergonomics tips and a $20 Target gift card!
Welcome to day ten of DORN’s 12 Days of Industrial Ergonomics! Our holiday series of workplace safety advice explores some of the most practical topics in today’s safety world, and we’re celebrating the spirit of the season with daily prize giveaways! To enter to win, share this blog post on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok and tag the DORN Companies account. For more chances to win, tag your friends in the safety industry and share the post on multiple platforms. Check the DORN blog daily to see if you’ve won!
Today, we’re exploring a key subject that affects workers in industrial settings, construction, and warehouses: ladder safety. Ladder-related safety violations were ranked third in OSHA’s list of the most cited violations of 2023, with some 40% of ladder-related injuries occurring while using a telescoping or extension ladder.
Our ergonomists and safety providers have seen almost every ladder safety violation, and we’ve developed a simple checklist to ensure your workers are using ladders correctly and minimizing injury risk.
- Ensure the ladder has both feet on level, stable ground.
- For extension or telescoping ladders, always check to make sure the ladder is locked before using it. Make sure both sides of the ladder are locked in place to prevent the ladder from sliding when weight is placed on it.
- Three points of contact: As we recommended in a previous blog on entering and exiting elevated vehicles, workers should use both hands on either side of the ladder before stepping on with a foot.
- Use a spotter. Having a second person standing near the base of the ladder to ensure it remains stationary and stable goes a long way in preventing falls and other incidents.
- Place both feet on each rung before stepping up to the next one. This helps slow down the worker’s movement up and down the ladder, and the more deliberate motion will help prevent slips, falls, or movement on the ladder resulting from shifting weight.
Here’s DORN’s Cheryl Roy demonstrating proper ladder safety techniques in a Safety Minute video.
Thank you for joining us for the 12 Days of Industrial Safety! Remember to share this post on social media to be entered to win today’s prize: a $20 Target gift card! The Day 9 winner of the 12 Days of Ergonomics is Brandy L.!
